


At First Sight

by thegirlcourageous



Series: It's Easy to Fall for Someone Like You [2]
Category: La casa de papel | Money Heist (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crushes, F/M, First Meetings, Meddling Friends
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:27:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23709889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirlcourageous/pseuds/thegirlcourageous
Summary: It had been just another night, when he’d looked up and there she was. Sitting across the room, surrounded by a group of women he barely spared a glance. If he was the sentimental type (and he was sure his friends would say that he was), maybe he would have said that it was love at first sight. But he wasn’t completely stupid. He knew it didn’t quite happen that fast.
Relationships: Denver | Daniel Ramos/Mónica Gaztambide
Series: It's Easy to Fall for Someone Like You [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1705525
Comments: 3
Kudos: 34





	At First Sight

He would never know what it had been that had made him look up it that precise moment, but he couldn’t help but be grateful that he had. It had been just another night, when he’d looked up and there she was. Sitting across the room, surrounded by a group of women he barely spared a glance. If he was the sentimental type (and he was sure his friends would say that he was), maybe he would have said that it was love at first sight. But he wasn’t completely stupid. He knew it didn’t quite happen that fast.

But he did think she looked like an angel. And he definitely knew that sounded stupid. Which was why he hadn’t said it out loud to anyone. No one would have been able to pry that particular confession from him, that he was sure of. He couldn't lay himself bare just like that.

That first time, before he’d had enough time to think it through, back when he’d felt bold enough to toy with the idea of approaching her, all he'd been able to think about had been to talking to her even if just for a moment. He just wanted to talk to her. To exist to her. But something had stopped him. It was his father’s voice. And even though he’d wanted to ignore it, he couldn’t. He’d been taught from an early age to manage his expectations. This woman was one of those supposedly unattainable ones. In no reality would she ever look his way, she was the "out of his league" type. He was just setting himself up for failure and heartbreak. He knew his father wasn’t trying to be cruel when he'd told him this, he’d just wanted him to be realistic. His father had spent his whole life trying to protect him, even when he hadn’t made it easy for him. It was the unfairness that grated at him, but he knew his father was right.

Denver knew, yet he couldn’t help the glances he’d shoot her way. Never outright staring, he knew how to be subtle, but his eyes always found their way back to her even when he tried to not look.

So, of course, Tokyo had realized, had butted in. She generally had no filter, and had invaded his space with a, “What are you looking at?” She’d easily followed his line of sight and had known immediately. She’d given a low whistle, consolingly patting him on the back, “Pretty but I don’t know how much of a chance you have with her.”

He aimed a glare her way, shaking her loose, before he replied, “Yeah, I know. Don’t need to tell me.”

She’d given him a considering look but had thankfully backed off. Or at least so he’d thought.

For several long weeks he’d pined. There was no better word for it. At first his friends had teased him, had thought it was funny to see him so hung up on some woman he didn’t know but also refused to talk to. This had then moved on to them trying various ways of encouraging him to go up to her. They had all obviously been ignored or he wouldn’t still be watching her like the creep he apparently was. Their suggestions had been all over the place, some better than others. He’d been counting his lucky stars that neither Berlin or his father had yet learned of his crush. Berlin, because he would undoubtably have the worst advice, advice he liked to dispense while reminding you that he'd been married several times, and therefore knew what he was talking about. His didn't want his father to know because he could already picture the pained way that he would look at him.

Nairobi had kept up a steady barrage of encouragements in her overly enthusiastic and slightly aggressive way, telling him to just grow a pair and talk to her. She said it like it was super simple, had promised it was foolproof. Denver wasn’t so sure he agreed. Rio’s brilliant advice had been the worst, his approach being to walk over, accidentally spill his drink, and then help clean up. Supposedly, this was according to him going to break the ice. Secretly, Denver thought that it was lucky for Rio that he’d already managed to get a girlfriend because his plan sounded incredibly shit. He'd felt further justified in this when even Tokyo had agreed that it had been a bad plan, and she normally sided with her boyfriend out of solidarity. “Babe, maybe leave the scheming to someone else, no?” He pouted at her, clearly offended, but she quickly kissed the pout right off his face, and Rio had quickly stopped caring about the whole thing.

Denver had just stared at their unashamed display of affection with a glum look on his face, a miserable weight pressing down on his chest. It had taken Nairobi ruffling his hair and pulling him onto the dance floor for him to shake himself out of it. It had been slow going, but gradually he was getting lost in the music, a grin spreading from ear to ear. Beside him Nairobi was singing along to the song playing, quite badly at that. Somehow, she managed to be both out of tune and get all the words wrong. He knew she was doing it on purpose, to make him laugh. And she was succeeding. Feeling significantly lighter, he joined in. He made a point of singing the right words though, which just made them both laugh even more hysterically.

Then, just as he was beginning to feel relaxed, Tokyo appeared at his elbow and he found himself being manhandle through the crowded bar. She suddenly stopped, and Denver glanced back at her with a frown, “What are you doing?”

But Tokyo just smirked, “You’ll thank me later. Oh, and get more drinks.” She proceeded to give him a hefty shove in the direction of bar.

Unprepared as he was, Denver collided with someone. For a blissful moment he was unaware, only for it to suddenly dawn on him who that someone was as she turned and gazed at him. The hair should have been a dead giveaway.

_You’re dead to me_ , he thought bitterly, hoping Tokyo could feel the murderous energy he was sending her way. This was not how he’d imagined meeting the mystery woman, if he was going to meet her at all. This plan was bordering on Rio levels of stupid. But he wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting. Tokyo had been uncharacteristically quiet, had only agreed with the others, humming thoughtfully but hadn’t made a single suggestion.

The smart thing would have been to apologize immediately, it was after all he who had stumbled into her, but words seemed to be lost to him right now. Because faced with her as he was, he couldn’t drag his eyes off her face long enough to form a cohesive thought, couldn’t get his tongue to cooperate. It felt too big for his mouth.

But the startled expression in her eyes pulled him in, and the way she said hi had him grinning like a fool. At least on the inside. He was desperately trying to appear even a little bit cool on the outside, even if he was sure that a hint of that smile had slipped through the cracks. But best of all, he now knew her name. Monica. 

Thankfully his friends weren’t close enough so he could hear their comments, there was never a shortage of those. The quick glimpse he’d gotten of their knowingly smirky faces were enough of an irritating background noise as it was. Of course, he didn’t actually need to be looking at them to know they were watching his every move. They were nosy bastards, every single one of them, and he was sure that soon everyone in their makeshift family would soon know. They were all not the best at keeping things to themselves. And he was also certain that Monica had noticed too, with the way her eyes had grown doe like the moment she’d looked in their direction.

But he paid them little attention. His focus was on the woman in front of him. He wanted to make a good impression, wanted her to like him. But Monica laughed at his poor excuses for jokes, so he couldn’t be doing that bad.

Time passed too quickly, and before he knew, they were parting. He grasped at any string of words that might allow him to see her again. He settled on, “Maybe I’ll see you here again?”

It felt like an eternity passed before she replied.

“Yes.”

She’d said yes. His heart tripped over itself in its eagerness, and he was sure that his answering grin couldn’t have possibly been more revealing. He had a tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve, he knew this. And right now, every feeling was more than likely visible on his face. For her to see.

But as he made his way back to his friends, he couldn’t find it in himself to regret it. If his openness allowed him to spend more time in her presence, he wouldn’t regret a thing.

He was greeted by a chorus of cheering and whistling, and he hoped that the raucous noises they made would be drowned out by the sound of the crowd. He did however grin sheepishly as he was welcomed back into the fold.

“Our very own Romeo returns!” Nairobi declared. Beside her, Rio was clapping.

He laughed at that. It was ridiculous but he couldn’t help the hope that was beginning to spring forth. Maybe it wasn’t completely impossible.

Tokyo once again smirked at him, her eyes dancing, “You can start thanking me now.”

“You wish.” 

He let his eyes wander back to Monica. Watched her make her way back to her table, saw the little frown of concentration, and he couldn’t stop himself from finding it cute. She sat down, and he wished she’d look his way, let him know that he hadn’t just hallucinated the encounter. He didn't know what he would do if he had. Her eyes found his, and yes. It had happened, it wasn't just wishful thinking.

It was endearing the nervous way she hid her smile, and he beamed. In that moment, he knew he would go to the bar tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that, he would wait every goddamn day if he needed to, just in case she would show up.

**Author's Note:**

> I love them.


End file.
